Wiesbaden: memorial for Sinti and Roma is stored for new playground!

Wiesbaden: memorial for Sinti and Roma is stored for new playground!

In Wiesbaden there are drastic changes: the city plans to redesign the Reising facilities and the construction of a new water playground. In the course of this work, the memorial for the deported and murdered Sinti and Roma is temporarily dismantled and stored, such as fr.de reported. This monument, which is directly opposite the main train station in the Reisinger facilities, is an important testimony to history and is also carefully and dignified in the new design. The construction work should begin in the next few weeks.

The memorial, which was inaugurated on December 5, 1992, was the first in Germany to remind you of the persecution of the Sinti and Roma and is an important symbol of commemoration. Thanks to the initiative of the Hessian State Association of the German Sinti and Roma, the city council found the decision to build this monument on May 21, 1992. It is dedicated to the 119 Wiesbadeners who were deported on March 8, 1943 and mostly did not survive the atrocities in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

historical importance of the memorial

The creation of the monument emphasizes the dark story that Sinti and Roma suffered through during the Nazi dictatorship in Germany. At the beginning of this dictatorship, around 26,000 Sinti and Roma lived in Germany, most of them were German citizens. With the devastating ideology of the Nazi state, they were stigmatized and persecuted as a "non-European foreign breed". From 1935, Sinti and Roma were denied the marriage with "Aryan" partners. In 1937, the state declaration as "anti -social" characterized the beginning of merciless persecution.

The deportation to Auschwitz was particularly devastating, which was determined by an arrangement by Heinrich Himmler on December 16, 1942. A list was created in Wiesbaden that contained the names of 119 deported Sinti and Roma. More than half of them died there, including around 40 children who were murdered in the camps. This very moving and tragic history has significantly shaped the city and the memorial.

a memorial for the future

The memorial itself shows a group of men, women and children who are symbolically depicted on the way into the downfall. It was manufactured in the Sinti workshop in Albersweiler and was designed by the artists Josef and Eugen Reinhardt. Over the years, the memorial has moved many people and stimulated to deal with this dark chapter in our history.

The ensuring of a worthy integration of the memorial into the redesigned facility is close to the city. The aim is not only to create a place of commemoration, but also to promote a valuable educational institution about the history and the ongoing problems of Sinti and Roma. The Association of German Sinti and Roma in Hesse also published an app in 2023 that offers further information on the history of the Sinti and Roma in Wiesbaden - a valuable source for everyone who wants to learn more about this important topic.

Information about the historical background as well as the memorial itself are also available on Stiftung-denkmal.de The continuation of the persecution until after 1945 and the still existing challenges for the Sinti and Roma in Germany.